What is a fraction?

Ever shared a pizza with your friends?

Imagine one yummy pizza, a chocolate bar, and an apple. Each one is a whole thing.

Now cut the pizza into equal pieces. Each piece is a part of the whole. A fraction tells us how many parts we are talking about, out of all the equal parts. Sharing is where fractions come alive. Look at these friends sharing food equally.

• Fraction = part of a whole

The pieces must be equal. If one piece is huge and one is tiny, it is not a fair fraction.

• Parts must be equal!

Let us look at three out of four slices. A fraction has two numbers.

The bottom number is the denominator. It tells how many equal parts make the whole. The top number is the numerator. It tells how many parts we take. A bar can show fractions too. Here is one half, two equal parts, and we take one.

• Bottom: parts in the whole
• Top: parts we take

Fractions are everywhere: half a glass of milk, a quarter of an hour, one slice of cake.

A quarter of an hour is fifteen minutes. See the clock face show a quarter. Now let us count. Here is a bigger whole cut into eight equal parts, and five are coloured.

Time to check. Look at the picture and think about the top and bottom numbers. A fraction shows equal parts of a whole: the top counts parts we take, the bottom counts all equal parts.